


Azusa, Side B

by Wizardess Heart Side B (AmaranthPrincess21)



Category: Shall We Date?: Wizardess Heart+
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2020-05-31 17:50:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19431046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmaranthPrincess21/pseuds/Wizardess%20Heart%20Side%20B
Summary: A collection of short stories with Azusa. Each chapter is a different theme.





	1. Fangtastic Seduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You've woken up in a strange house, all alone with Azusa. There's just one thing he wants to do before leaving...

When I woke up, I was in an unfamiliar room. I was tucked in and I couldn't remember how I'd gotten there. The last thing I remembered was Azusa and I running to an old abandoned mansion for cover during a sudden storm. I sat up suddenly; where was he?

 _“Shit,_ you scared me.” I sighed in relief as I heard his familiar voice beside me. He was sitting up in the bed, a book in his lap and a hand clutching his chest.

“Sorry. I panicked for a moment,” I told him. I laid back down. There was the faint sound of a book snapping shut and he shimmied to lie down beside me. He turned to his side, facing me.

“You've been scaring me all day. First you pass out when we get inside, and now this,” he complained.

“I passed out?” I asked him.

“You don't remember?”

“I apparently passed out, so I guess that's why I don't remember it.” He gave me a skeptical look before rolling his eyes and he sighed.

“You're such a handful sometimes,” he told me. His large hand cupped my face. “I think I deserve some compensation.” I chuckled and leaned over, quickly pecking him on the lips.

“If you want a kiss, just tell me you want a kiss,” I told him with a grin.

“It's more fun to do it this way,” he teased. We leaned in for another kiss. His lips were so hot as they pressed against mine. I broke away for a moment only for him to swoop in again. Azusa shifted his body, hovering over me, pressing me into the mattress. Heat started to build in my body and if it weren't for the fact we were in a strange place, I would've let him continue. But I wriggled my arm between us and pushed him back a bit.

“Is it okay for us to make out here?” I inquired.

“Why wouldn't it be?” he asked back.

“Because... I don't know where we are and like, are we even _allowed_ to be in here?” I pointed out.

“It's fine,” he reassured me. “We have the place to ourselves. But, if you really want to go back to my dorm and do this, that's fine. But I want to eat something before I go.” I opened my mouth to ask him if we were really going to steal food from whoever owned this house, but the only sound that came out was a gasp as Azusa kissed my neck. It was wrong to do something like this in some stranger's house, but I didn't want to stop. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him closer. I let Azusa pepper my skin with sweet, warm kisses. Suddenly, there was a sharp, stabbing pain in my neck and I cried out, my nails digging into Azusa's back.

“I've told you before, not so hard!” I berated him. “You have to be gentle at first!” He ignored me, sucking on the bite. A sweet numbness started to settle in. It felt good, but different from the past times he'd given me hickeys. For what felt like the twentieth time that day, I grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back. I froze. I could feel wet warmth still spreading over my skin. Blood was smeared across Azusa's chin and lips, and between his lips were two sharp, bloody fangs. I scrambled to sit up, my back hitting the plush headboard as I moved away from him.

“Azusa, you... y-you have...” I couldn't get the words out. He smiled apologetically.

“I couldn't help myself. I haven't eaten in a long time and you were just ripe for the picking.” I was frozen in place, trying to process all of this. Azusa leaned in and gave the wounds on my neck open-mouthed kisses. Every kiss he gave sent a warm shiver through my body. The fire inside me was rekindled and I wanted more of him.

“Do you like it?” he murmured in between kisses. “Would you let me even if you didn't?”

“Azusa -”

“Or would you rather fall from grace with me?” His voice was smooth and husky, his hot breath tickling my ear. His fingertips grazed my neck. “Stay with me for all eternity.” I captured his lips in a kiss and let him lead me into the darkness.


	2. Sweetly Haunted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's in the wee hours of Halloween and I'm still working on my costume. But Azusa wants me to go to bed...

My eyes were stinging painfully and my head was spinning as I worked at my sewing machine. Tomorrow was Halloween... well, it was Halloween today technically, since it was past midnight. I was working on my costume for the party later that night and I'd been working on it all day. I knew I shouldn't have procrastinated on it, but I was so busy with preparations for all of the Halloween festivities that any free time I had, I spent it napping or doing work.

From one end of the room, I heard a sigh. A few seconds passed and arms wrapped around my shoulders, followed by a head resting on top of mine.

“When are you going to be done?” Azusa murmured.

“I don't know. Maybe another hour or two,” I guessed. He sighed again.

“I thought the whole point of me coming over tonight while Amelia's at that sleepover was so we could hang out,” he told me.

“I know, I'm really sorry,” I replied. “I had no idea how long this would take.”

“Can we _please_ just go to bed? I'm tired and you've got to be too,” he said.

“I want to finish this first so I can sleep in in the morning,” I said. There was a surge of guilt when I felt him slump against me. He rubbed one of my shoulders.

“All right. Get up.” He didn't even wait for me to respond before grabbing me by my armpits and hauling me out of the chair.

“Azusa -” He sat down at the machine and patted his lap.

“Sit.” I was so tired and confused I didn't argue with him. I went to sit on his lap, but he tapped my butt and said, “The other way.” My face flushed and my heart pounded as I straddled him, looking him straight in the face. He had bags under his eyes and it was clear he was probably just as tired as I was. He pulled me close and moved my head to fit in the crook of his neck. “I'm waking you up in an hour, so you better get a good nap in.”

“Wait, are you gonna work on my costume?” I asked.

“I'm only going to do this once, okay?” he said grumpily. I giggled and kissed him on the cheek.

“Thank you. I didn't know you could sew,” I added as I settled in against him. He was so nice and warm...

“I'm better at hand-sewing, but I know how to use a machine,” he replied. The soft humming of the machine started as Azusa sewed the trim onto my costume. “I used to fix mine and Tsukasa's clothes. It was too expensive for a couple of kids to take them to a seamstress every time we ripped something.”

“I see. Do you celebrate Halloween in Hinomoto?” I asked.

“No, not really. Some foreigners brought it over so in the bigger cities some people will dress up, but it's pretty uncommon.” He paused. “And even the people who dress up have different costume tastes than the people here. If you dress up, nine times out of ten they're just being a basic yuurei, or something.”

“A what?”

“It's a ghost. You know, white burial kimono, long black hair.”

“That sounds scary. Why don't you be that for Halloween?” He sighed.

“You know I hate costumes.”

“I know, but can't we be _that_ obnoxious couple just once?”

“We make out all over campus, I'm pretty sure we're already an obnoxious couple.”

“Okay, but like, what if next year we were a Hinomoto bride and groom?” The machine suddenly fell silent. I smirked against Azusa.

“I hate it when you know what I like,” he grumbled.

“You'd like to see me in a wedding kimono, wouldn't you?” I teased.

“Okay, fine. Next year, we can be a bride and groom,” he conceded. I chuckled and leaned up, kissing his jaw. Although he sounded irritated, he was grinning.

“Thank you, Azusa.”

“You're so stubborn,” he murmured.

“That's the pot calling the kettle black.” He snorted.

“I guess it is.” He leaned down and gave the top of my head a quick peck. “As much as I like talking to you, you should get some sleep. I wasn't kidding when I said I'm only working for an hour.” His voice was unexpectedly soft, despite his words being harsh. I laughed and snuggled closer to him.

“Okay. I'll be ready to take over then,” I said as I closed my eyes. Immediately, the pain in them lessened. Azusa chuckled and kissed the top of my head.

“You say that now...” His voice trailed off. Between the gentle white noise of the sewing machine and Azusa's warmth, I was quickly lulled to sleep.


	3. Holly Jolly Taffy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azusa has some visa issues, so we spend Christmas in Hinomoto. He returns to our inn room early with some news.

I hadn't expected to spend my Christmas in Hinomoto. But there had been complications extending Azusa's visa past graduation, so I decided to accompany him on this trip back. Although it wasn't my first time here, it was my first time staying here for more than a couple of days and already I was beginning to get homesick. It'd been a week since we landed. The inn we were staying at was nice and all, but Azusa was gone most of the time and I was left to stay in our room or walk around town with my limited language skills. At least we got to see each other at night for an hour or two before we went to bed.

I sat at our table, eating dinner. I was wondering how to pass the time when suddenly, I heard the door slide open. There was the sound of rustling and then the second set of screens slid open.

“I'm back,” Azusa announced. Before I knew it I was up on my feet and hugging him. “Well, this is new,” he commented.

“I'm just happy,” I admitted.

“Why?”

“'Why?' You're back early and it's Christmas. Why wouldn't I be happy?” I told him. I looked up at him and saw him grinning.

“I'm just teasing. You get so riled up,” he chuckled as he lifted my chin. He kissed me and then went to the table, putting down the cloth sack he had on his shoulder. “I'm starving.”

“I can imagine. How did the meetings go?” I sat down opposite him.

“Fine. I had to talk with officials again and then run a few more errands.” He dug into his dinner.

“Were they nicer than the last two officials?”

“They were the same ones, but I think they're tired of me because...” He trailed off as he reached into his bag. He pulled out some papers and handed them over to me.

“I can't read but they look official,” I told him. Azusa snorted.

“I got the visa extension. I'll be able to stay in Gedonelune until you graduate,” he said. It was the closest I'd ever seen him to beaming.

“Really?!” I perked up. He smirked and nodded, continuing to shovel noodles into his mouth. “That's such a relief. I was terrified we were going to be separated.”

“I know.” He reached over and started rummaging through his bag again. “I guess that'd be a good enough Christmas present on its own, but I wanted to spoil you. Just this once.” It was my turn to snort. Despite what he said, he spoiled me pretty often, buying me trinkets and desserts.

“You're going to break our one present only rule?” I teased him. He pulled out a drawstring bag.

“Well, if you don't want these, I'm fine with keeping them for myself,” he said with a devilish grin.

“No, I'm fine with you breaking it.”

“Predictable.” He kept grinning and handed over the bag. I opened it up and found a stash of colorful konpeito.

“They're so pretty! Thank you!” I immediately popped a red one into my mouth. A sweet taste filled my mouth. “I love strawberry candy!” He reached over and plucked one out of my bag. “Here.” I placed it on the table between us.

“I'm good. It's more fun to take it when you're not sharing,” he said. I giggled.

“I guess.” I stood up and went to my suitcase. I was careful to hide the new sweater I bought him as I pulled it out. “Sorry I didn't wrap it.” I held it behind my back and sat next to him. “Close your eyes.”

“Seriously?”

“I guess if you don't want it -”

“Okay, fine, I'll play along,” he said in a lilting voice. He closed his eyes. I went to place the sweater in his outstretched hands when I glanced at his face. There was the smallest smile on his face and my heart skipped a bit. In the candlelight, he look even more beautiful than usually. I couldn't help it and kissed him on the cheek. The corners of his lips twinged. “Oh?” He grabbed my waist and leaned in for a full kiss. I squeaked, but melted into his body. His lips always felt so good against mine. I put one arm around his shoulder and held onto the sweater in the other. Breaking away, I waved the sweater in front of him.

“I hope you like it,” I told him. Azusa grabbed it, surveying it with an odd look on his face. Panic started to set in. “I, uh, you're sorta, um, your face... Look, if you don't like it, I can take it back and get you a new one.”

“No, I like it,” he said. He looked up at me. His eyes were hooded and his lips were curled into a sultry smile. “I was just thinking about how cute you'd look wearing nothing but it.” I knew that look well enough to know that we'd be making up for lost time tonight.


	4. Love Holiday 2018

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have to help Azusa take down his stall at the Love Holiday Festival.

The Love Holiday Fair was coming to a close. Loads of people had headed back to their dorms, but there were still a lot of people left; I guess partners were helping their loved ones take down their stalls. I mean, I know that’s what I was going to do. The International Students Club’s stall was pretty big, it was really a few stalls pushed together. I gave friendly waves to everyone as I approached Azusa’s section. He was taking down some hanging decorations from the frame of the tent.

“Help is here,” I told him, gently touching his back. He turned back to me and gave me a peck on my forehead.

“Thanks. Can you clean up the kanji activity area?” He wasted no time putting me to work.

“Sure can.” I squeezed between the tables and went to dismantle the display. “How did it go?”

“Fine. A lot of people seemed interested in traditions, but not so much the activity.”

“That’s a shame. I thought people would be excited to learn kanji.” There was a lot of ink and several unsullied brushes at the activity table. It looked like it'd only been touched once or twice.

“Me too. Although maybe I chose kanji that was too hard,” he mused. Glancing at his list, one stood out to me as beautiful but intimidating. I decided not to say anything about the difficulty level, but I was curious about it.

“What’s this one say?” I asked, plucking the example paper off the display board and showing it to Azusa.

“It’s read ‘ai.’” He walked over to me and grabbed a brush. His hand was lightning fast as he wrote the character a a few others. “Can you read this?” My brows furrowed as I tried to remember hiragana. Part of me felt bad for forgetting the short lesson Azusa had given me a few months ago, but then again he'd been clearly wanting to do things other than studying so I didn't blame myself too much.

“Ai-shi-te-ru?” I read, glancing up at him for confirmation. He laughed and pinched my cheek.

“I love you, too,” he said, turning on his heel. He went back to taking down decorations.

“Wait, what? Did you just trick me into saying, 'I love you?!'” I demanded.

“You think I tricked you into proclaiming your intense love for me? Ouch,” he commented sardonically.

“Azusa...” I sighed. “Well, if I said it, I want to hear you say it!” He smirked.

“I already told you I loved you back,” he pointed out.

“No, I want to hear you say aishiteru!” I whined. But as soon as I saw the devilish smirk on his face, I knew he'd just played me and I'd fallen right into his trap. “Uh, wait...”

“You want me to tell you I love you?” He approached me gracefully, confident in his steps and a seductive smile on his face. My heart was racing and I could already feel myself blushing. Azusa snaked an arm around my waist and cupped my cheek with his free hand. But instead of talking, he leaned down and gave me an electrifying kiss. My pulse skyrocketed as his kissed his way from my lips to my ear.

“Aishiteru...” he whispered. Pressing one last hot kiss to the shell of my ear and making me shiver, he broke away from me. He still had that sinful smile on his face. “Was that good enough? Although, I think your face says it all. You're too cute.” He kissed my forehead before getting back to work, leaving me flustered and hoping no one saw us.


	5. Our Little Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow is my first Bon Festival and Azusa keeps getting lost in thought.

I sighed as I finished setting up our futons. Tomorrow was the Bon festival and since it was going to be a long day, I wanted to make sure to have a good night's rest. If I could manage it. I gave my futon one last shove towards Azusa's just to make sure they were squished together before getting up. Since Azusa had to return to Hinomoto in the summers because of his student visa, I decided to come back with him. It had been a bit of an adjustment at first, but living together was fun. It was wonderful being able to see him everyday and snuggle every night. Among other things...

I quietly slid the door open and went into the main room. Azusa was standing in front of the butsudan, still, silent. I went over to him and stood by him, glancing up at him. He was staring at Tsukasa's picture, sadness written on his face. He didn't acknowledge me.

"Azusa?" I asked quietly, putting my hand on his back. He flinched under my touch. "The futons are ready."

"Thanks," he murmured quietly. It was one of those nights again. I wormed my way under his arm and wrapped my arms around his waist. He put a hand on my shoulder, thumb rubbing against the fabric of my pajamas.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" He sighed and shook his head.

"I was just lost in my thoughts," he explained. His shoulders slumped ever so slightly before he closed the butsudan's door. "Let's go to bed. After all, you have a big day tomorrow, don't you?" He flashed me a small grin as he steered me to his bedroom. Our bedroom.

"Yeah, you're right." Azusa gave me a mischievous smirk before he started stripping down to change into sleep clothes.

"You're going to look awfully cute in that somegi I bought you," he commented.

"I'm excited to wear it," I said. That part was true, at least. I was also excited for my first festival in Hinomoto, but I wasn't sure how I felt about it being the Bon festival - a festival to honor the dead.

"Good." He paused for a moment before flashing me a wink. "Are you enjoying watching me undress?" My face felt like it caught on fire.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was -" He didn't give me a chance to finish my sentence, sliding up to me, one hand on my waist, the other grabbing the hem of my night shirt.

“I don't think we really need pajamas tonight, do we?” he asked in a low, sultry voice that I could feel through my body. My heart was already racing.

“Yeah, I don't think we do,” I replied. I could worry about everything later. Right now, I had more pressing matters to attend to.


	6. The Vow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I get a peek into mine and Azusa's future together.

“Go on!” Amelia gave me a small push towards the large mirror. “Don't you want to see your future?”

“I, uh, I mean, I guess.” We were crammed into a supply closet in our dorm building where a large, ornate sat. They said if you said the right spell, it would show you your future with your partner. I admit I was curious to see more of my future with Azusa, but I was worried. That morning I'd heard a few girls teasing another because apparently people standing around the mirror can also see what's going on. I hadn't told exactly told Amelia the whole truth of what happened between Azusa and I and I knew even though he'd changed, if Amelia realized he'd been abusive she'd go out and kill him. He was strong, but he was no match for Amelia when she was mad.

“What do you mean, 'you guess?' Come on, you've gotta be curious about your future with Azusa!” I couldn't meet her gaze. “Don't worry, I'm not going to make fun of you! If you two start getting it on or something I'll just turn my back to the mirror.”

 _“Amelia!”_ I couldn't help but laugh and she giggled.

“Don't be shy! Go get that bread!” She put her hands on my shoulders. Okay. Hopefully, future Azusa won't say anything stupid and out himself. I really did want to see more of the future Tsukasa showed me...

“Show me the bonds which weave my future! Ad Maltos Anos!” The mirror flashed and suddenly the closet was filled with bright white light. Amelia squeaked and I covered my eyes. Slowly, the light faded and I opened my eyes. I was in an unfamiliar hallway, sliding doors one both sides. I'd only seen pictures of this kind of house in books before, but I knew enough to know I must be in Hinomoto. A screen slid open and a small boy with bright blue eyes stuck his head out.

“Mama,” he whispered, motioning for me to come in. This must be mine and Azusa's son. I quietly crept into the room with him and realized why he was being so quiet. Azusa was passed out on a futon, face planted onto a book. On his back was a small baby, peacefully sleeping away. It was so sweet but I couldn't help but giggle a bit. Azusa must've been so exhausted he couldn't stay up any longer. But it was kind of dangerous for the baby to be on his back like that. What if he rolled over? I picked the baby up. She was so small. I wondered if she had mine or Azusa's eyes.

“Mm?” Azusa stirred, propping himself up on his forearms. The boy laughed and gave Azusa a hug.

“Papa, maybe you need nap time too. You fell asleep again,” the boy said. Azusa chuckled and ruffled his hair.

“Maybe you're onto something, Tsukasa,” he laughed. Tsukasa joined him in giggling. Azusa glanced up at me and smiled before rolling onto his back.

“Good, you have her,” he murmured. He reached out and pulled Tsukasa into a hug. Tsukasa went with it, snuggling close to Azusa. A smile wormed its way onto my face. This was too sweet. “Are you going to keep standing there, or are you going to join us?” I grinned and sat down on one of the futon.

“Are you going to join us for a nap, Papa?” Tsukasa asked.

“I'm already here, so I might as well,” he said.

“Yay!” Tsukasa was practically bouncing. “What about you, Mama? Will you and Anju nap too?”

“Why not?” Tsukasa got even more excited, falling over as he shoved his fists into the air.

“It looks like you're not ready fro a nap yet,” Azusa teased him.

“No! I'm ready! I'm already lying down!” Tsukasa grabbed the blanket and pulled it over himself. “I'm ready.” Azusa laughed and pinched our son's cheek.

“I'll believe it when you're actually asleep.” I had to say I was kinda shocked how good Azusa was with him. I mean, I knew he raised his brother, but he was doing amazing handling the kids. Then again, I had never seen him with kids before. Tsukasa just screwed his eyes shut and turned to face the wall. Azusa pulled him in closer with one arm and held his free one out for me. Now this was an invitation I wasn't about to turn down. I laid flush next to him, the baby resting on my chest. She was still passed out. I glanced over at Azusa. Despite everything, we still had this wonderful life and family ahead of us. I gave him a warm smile.

“I love you, Azusa,” I whispered.

“I love you too,” he replied.

“Ugh, SOME PEOPLE are trying to sleep here!” Azusa and I burst into laughter at Tsukasa's indignation.

“We love you too, Tsukasa,” I told him. Out of the blue, there was a bright flash and the scene was flooded with white. The flash faded and I was back in the supply closet.

“Oh my gosh your kids are so cute! I just need to squeeze that baby! Her cheeks were perfect!” Amelia squealed.

“Wait, did you see that?!” Funny how quickly you can go from happy to embarrassed.

“Duh! It's a mirror. I could see into it. But seriously, you two are gonna be such a cute married couple and have adorable kids! I hope mine are as cute as yours!”

“They were really adorable, weren't they?” I mused. I knew I'd only be able to think about our future children and Azusa's warm smiles for the rest of the day.


	7. The Night Class

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azusa and I are enjoying a swim in the lake when a drunk girl interrupts our date.

I stared at the water of the lake apprehensively. Sure, it was clear, blue, and beautiful. But it was probably pretty cold. I could see the goosebumps on Azusa's skin as he floated below me, looking up at me.

“Come on, the water's fine,” he told me.

“It looks kinda cold...” My voice trailed off. Azusa clucked his tongue and started drifting away from me.

“Okay, guess I'll just enjoy swimming by myself...” I sighed and jumped in. The initial contact was freezing and my skin was ice cold, but after a few moments, it felt okay. Refreshing even. Azusa grinned and swam over to me. “See? It's not that bad,” he teased me. He put his hand in mine and started floating on his back. I was about to join him when I heard a girl speak up.

“Uh, excuse me?” a girl called out again as she approached the edge of the lake. Her dress sparkled like the sun and her hair was bright green and curly. She wobbled as she walked towards the edge. It was like she was a ribbon in the wind, she was swaying so badly.

“Is she _drunk?”_ Azusa asked incredulously. We swam towards her. The girl had a misstep and went plummeting into the lake. I kicked up my pace and dove down to get her. I grabbed her waist and pulled her to the surface. She was coughing up water, but looked fine. I pulled her over to the other side of the lake, dragging her onto the small patch of sand that lead into the water. The girl coughed up another bit of water. Azusa joined us, but the girl ignored him. She turned to me and as if it were nothing, kissed my square on the lips. Her lips were soft, but I could taste the alcohol on her breath.

“Are you okay?” Azusa asked her pointedly.

“Thanks for saving my life,” she told me, her words a bit slurred.

“Are you okay?” I repeated Azusa's question.

“I wanna go sleep,” she said. I glanced over at Azusa. He jerked his head toward the school. I nodded.

“Hey, let's go take you to the dorm,” I lied to her. We got to our feet and the girl was still swaying a bit, even standing still. It was a production getting her to the nurse's office. Azusa was silent the whole time as the girl told me all about her night partying, and how tired she was, and how pretty I was, and how pretty Azusa was. This poor girl was out of her mind wasted. The school nurse seemed worried, but assured us it the girl would be fine.

“She just needs some rest,” they told us as two men rushed into the infirmary. But as I turned away, I could hear her say to the other nurse, “Fandamilia needs to get in control of herself” followed by the other nurse saying, “The whole Night Class needs to stop drinking so heavily.” So I guess this wasn't the first time this had happened, although the comment about the Night Class confused me. Maybe it was some informal club? I sighed as we exited the infirmary. Somehow, that drained me. Azusa's arm snaked around my waist and he pulled my close. Suddenly, he pulled me into an empty classroom and got me against the wall.

“A-Azusa?!” His hand cupped my cheek and he leaned in for a kiss. I melted into it. His lips weren't as soft as hers, but it felt like home, although this definitely felt a bit more possessive, like how he'd kiss me after someone got too cozy with me.

“Are you okay?” he asked when he broke away.

“What?”

“She kissed you.”

“I-I'm fine. Drunk girls are just like that,” I told him.

“You shouldn't accept drunkenness as an excuse, but I'm glad you're fine.” He leaned down for another quick peck.

“How are you doing?” I inquired.

“I don't like other people kissing you. And I'm irritated our date got sidetracked like this,” he admitted. I grabbed his free hand and squeezed.

“Then let's go back.” He grinned and stepped back, grabbing my other hand.

“Good. Because I'm not done with you yet,” he said, flashing me a seductive smile before pulling out of the room. I giggled and followed after him. I was worried about Fandamilia, but I promised myself I'd check up on her later. Right now, I was just excited for the rest of mine and Azusa's date.


	8. Bewitchingly Spooky!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our Halloween costumes dredge up some sad memories.

The sudden knocking at the door startled me. The pit in my stomach grew as I heard Azusa's voice from the other side. But I couldn't back out now. I'd made a promise to him last Halloween that we'd dress up as a Hinomotan bride and groom. I never thought he'd actually hold me to it and I was shocked when he came from spending the summer overseas with a trunk full of somegi.

“Come open,” I called out. Azusa came in and he froze, eyes locked onto me. It really, really didn't help the pit in my stomach. If anything, I felt even more self-conscious. I stood up and hurried to the carts of pumpkins we had to take down to the auditorium. “Um, we should probably get these to the others. The party's going to start soon.” When I tried to grab one of the carts, Azusa's hand grabbed my wrist.

“Wait.” He turned me and continued to stare at me, eyes slowly traveling across every inch of my body. He said nothing, but there was a strange look on his face. There was something sad in his eyes, something I hadn't seen in him in a really, really long time.

“I... Does it look _that_ weird?” I asked.

“No, that's not it. You look beautiful...” He trailed off, still looking so forlorn. He reached down and grabbed the sleeves, holding the fabric tenderly. I gently put a hand on his upper arm.

“Do you wanna talk about it? Or do you want me to find something to distract you?” I asked. He stayed silent, staring into space for a couple of second. I figured he wanted to be quiet, so I went on. “You look really handsome in your somegi. I don't think I've seen you dressed so formally before.” Still, he was silent. Tension grew in the air as he said nothing and I had no idea what to do. “I, um, if you want, you can stay in here while I take the pumpkin down.” Silence. Clearly, he needed a moment. I gently pried his fingers off of the sleeve and went to get the cart.

“This was my mother's muku.” Finally, he spoke up. I stopped and looked back at him. “She married my father in it.” Again, he grabbed the sleeve. “When she was pregnant with Tsukasa, she used to tell me how much she wanted a daughter so she could wear the same muku when she got married. I guess she'll just have to so settle for daughter-in-law.”

“Are you feeling okay?” I inquired softly. If he was just spilling his feelings out like this, I knew something had to be seriously wrong. I'd once dreamed of him seeing me in a muku, but this was definitely not the same reaction the Azusa in my dream had.

“I'm fine,” he lied, seemingly snapping out of his depression.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I am. I shouldn't be getting upset over a stupid somegi,” he declared, putting his hands on his hips. “We're not having another fight over somegi. I'm not going to make you change after I spent weeks convincing you it was okay to wear.”

“I mean, I'll wear this again when we get married,” I pointed out.

“Of course you are. New muku cost too much money. Besides, my parents would have wanted you to wear it anyway,” he said. He paused. “Although, I have to say I don't want other men seeing how beautiful you look in this.”

“You can't fool me, Azusa. I know jealousy isn't the whole issue,” I told him. He sighed and folded his arms.

“My parents died around this time. I just don't want to think about it right now.” I hugged him tight. No wonder he seemed so off. I don't know the full details, but I know he has nightmares about it. Sometimes he'll talk in his sleep and it's heartbreaking enough to hear him watching his mother die. I can't imagine what it'd be like to watch something so violent.

“Let's not do this. Let's just dress up as something else. We'll wear these again sometime,” I told him. We stayed in that hug for what felt like hours. Gradually, he started hugging me back, hand rubbing my lower back.

“Okay.” We took a step back from each other and although it was tinged with sadness, he gave me a devilish grin. “I guess there's one good thing about changing. I'll be able to undress you.”

Yup, he was on his way to getting back to normal. He was going back to his sarcastic, thirsty self.


	9. New Year's Eve with You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azusa and I get ready for our first shrine visit of the year.

“Coin offering, ring bell, two bows, two claps, pray, one bow. Coin offering, ring bell, two bows, two claps, pray, one bow. Coin offering, ring bell, two bows, two claps, pray, one bow…” I muttered the words to myself as I paced around our living room. I was waiting for Azusa to finish getting ready for our first shrine trip of the year.

“We’re getting there as soon as it’s midnight. I’m not waiting in that long line again,” he told me that morning when I asked what he wanted to do today to bring in the New Year. I fought back the temptation to tell him he’d been spoiled living in Gedonelune. I’d never gone with him because we were usually away from each other or I was busy with other things, but apparently the shrine in Gedonelune was always near empty and so there weren’t long lines to pray. However, the case was far different in Hinomoto…

I’d never been and I didn’t have anything special I wanted to do today (not to mention everything was closed, anyway) so I figured going to the shrine right at midnight was fine.

I had to admit I was a mixture of excited and nervous. I’d never been to a shrine before, but also, I’d never been to a shrine and I was repeating the proper prayer procedures Azusa had told me earlier. I even had a page of a notebook with the words written over and over again. I had to make sure I didn’t mess up. So here I was, pacing the living room repeating instructions over and over again.

“What are you doing?” Azusa slide open his bedroom door and gave me a weird look.

“I’m making sure I remember how to pray right,” I said. He sighed, rolling his eyes.

“You can just watch me do it before you. I’ll go first,” he said. The door slid all the way open and Azusa stepped out, dressed in his formal clothes. He made a beeline for me and messed with my obi. “I left you alone for thirty minutes and you already ruined the great job I did dressing you.” I couldn’t miss that smirk on his face.

“Maybe you should’ve done better, then,” I teased him, and he snorted.

“Someone’s awfully bold tonight.” He finished fixing my obi and kissed me. It was short, but like most of our kisses, pretty deep and enough to make my heart start racing. “Let’s go. The earlier we get there, the better.” I took his hand and we made our way to the front door. As I was slipping on my shoes, I felt Azusa’s arm around my waist. “And the sooner we return home, the sooner we can celebrate the new year just the two of us.”

“Oh, that’s no fair! You can’t just say that and then make us go out in public,” I complained as he opened the front door and ushered me out into the frigid cold night. He laughed.

“Life’s not fair, darling,” he said. I rolled my eyes at him and he laughed again.

“If we had a couch, I’d make you sleep on it,” I told him. He offered his arm to me and I took it. We started our journey to the closest shrine.

“No, you wouldn’t. I’ve done nothing wrong,” he said and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“I love you,” I said through giggles.

“Love you too,” he replied. I snuggled closer to his side and we continued making our way to the shrine. My nerves were fading fast, bantering with Azusa. The only thing left in me was excitement for tonight and love. I think I’d pray for all our New Year’s Eve celebrations to be like this one.


End file.
